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Pipeline blast injures man near Canadian

Hemphill County authorities are investigating a gas pipeline explosion about eight miles east of Canadian that critically injured a worker, the Canadian Record reported.

Construction crews were working on the line with a trackhoe about 7:30 a.m. Friday when a blast ripped through the site, tossing the trackhoe into the air, witnesses said.

A worker suffered second-degree burns over 13 percent of his body, including injuries to his head, face and arms, according to the Canadian Record. Emergency crews transported the unidentified man to a hospital in Canadian.

Emergency responders were still at the scene, but further information was unavailable, the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office said.

The trackhoe and three other vehicles were damaged, and firefighters and law enforcement officers evacuated to a safe distance as acetylene and oxygen tanks exploded, the Record said.